What will you say to players in the first meeting?
Introduce myself, break the ice, and then set expectations for the team. I would tell them we need to dream high and work hard to achieve our goals.
They should believe in themselves and believe in the process: gradual improvement is the key to success.
How do you keep players motivated and group morale high?
I believe continuous improvement and focusing on the next event is the key to success. Seasons are long and athletes need to keep themselves grounded to keep motivation high.
I would also emphasize that everyone will have an opportunity to perform and show their worth.
How do you coach an athlete who is struggling to improve?
I would communicate with the athlete and work on a plan to improve performance.
I would try to understand if the problem is psychological, fitness or tactical and plan accordingly.
I would set and measure goals to track improvement‌.
How would you help an athlete recover from an injury?
I would work with staff on a reintegration plan. We would increase training workload slowly until athlete recovery is complete.
What’s your leadership and coaching philosophy?
Are you a disciplinarian? Are you authoritarian or permissive? Or maybe somewhere in the middle?
Do you believe in pushing athletes to their limits or do you have a more balanced approach? How much do you focus on fitness? What about tactics?
The middle ground is the safest bet. Once again, researching the team beforehand will help you ace this question.
They want to know how you approach the game from a tactical and/or strategic perspective.
This is an important question and an opportunity to show off your knowledge of the game.
However, a suitable answer depends on the sport and the person who is doing the interview.
What do you know about our team?
Make sure you do your research before going to an interview.
Read about the teams history, how long they have existed, and their ups and downs.
Showing interest will help you get the job.
What adversities have you faced as a coach? How do you deal with them?
They want to know how you deal with adversity, stress and setbacks. These are common in coaching, especially because so many things are out of your control.
Mention how you overcame those critical moments and how it made you a better and more experienced coach.
How do you discipline players who get in trouble outside sports?
It depends on the severity of the infraction. Anything from a warning, a few games on the bench, or suspension from the team if the infraction is serious enough.
However, I believe we should avoid suspension as much as possible. We should focus on rehabilitation and preventing inappropriate behavior through education.
How do you recruit high-quality athletes?
By engaging the local community and encouraging good prospects to join the team.
Using referrals from staff and existing athletes.
Maintaining a formal/informal network of scouts who can assist in recruiting.
If available, making use of performance statistics.
What qualities do you have that will help you be successful?
Im competitive and dont shy away from a good challenge.
Ive been involved in sports for a long time. I have a lot of experience in coaching.
I have good leadership skills (detail your experiences, eg: if you have experience managing people say it).
I have good organizational skills (once again, detail your experiences with this).
Its best if you give specific examples for each quality you mention.
What Interview Questions Should You Expect On Your Coaching Interview?